Method and system using a hand-gesture responsive device for collecting data for a geographic database

ABSTRACT

A data collection system including a data glove is used by a researcher to safely and efficiently collect and input data for a geographic database. The data collection system is transported by the researcher along roads in a geographic area. As the data collection system is being transported, the positions of the data collection system are determined. The researcher inputs data into the data collection system through the glove by hand and/or finger gestures. The data collection system stores data indicating a determined position with a type of data associated with the gestures. The data obtained by the data collection system is displayed so that the researcher can add or modify data records in the geographic database. The data obtained by the data collection system is used to add data to or modify data in the geographic database.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/045,804 filedJan. 10, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,144, the entire disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to collecting data for a geographicdatabase and more particularly, relates to using hand and/or fingergestures to collect data for a geographic database.

BACKGROUND

Geographic databases have various uses. Geographic databases are used inin-vehicle navigation systems, personal computers, networked computingenvironments, and various other kinds of platforms, as well as on theInternet. Geographic databases are used with various kinds ofapplications to provide various functions including map display, routecalculation, route guidance, truck fleet deployment, traffic control,electronic yellow pages, emergency services, and so on.

To provide these kinds of functions, a geographic database includes datathat represent geographic features in a covered geographic region.Geographic databases include details about represented geographicfeatures, such as the geographic coordinates of roads in a geographicregion, speed limits along the road segments, locations of stop lights,turn restrictions at intersections of roads, address ranges, streetnames, and so on. Geographic databases may also include informationabout points of interest in covered regions. Points of interest mayinclude restaurants, hotels, airports, gas stations, stadiums, policestations, and so on.

Collecting information for a geographic database is a significant task.Not only is the initial collection of data a significant undertaking,but a geographic database needs to be updated on a regular basis. Forexample, new streets are constructed, street names change, trafficlights are installed, and turn restrictions are added to existing roads.Also, new levels of detail may be added about geographic features thatare already represented in an existing geographic database. For example,an existing geographic database for roads may be enhanced withinformation about lane widths, shoulder sizes, lane barriers, addressranges, sidewalks, bicycles paths, etc. Thus, there exists a need tocontinue to collect information for a geographic database.

According to one method, technicians (referred to herein as“researchers”) are assigned the task of collecting data for a geographicdatabase. Each researcher may physically travel throughout an assignedarea and record information about observed geographic features. While inthe field, the researcher may record the observed information byphysically writing on a printed copy of a map. For example, theresearcher may write a description about an attribute of a geographicfeature adjacent to the representation of the geographic feature on themap. After the data is collected in the field, the researcher uses acomputer program to enter data to a main copy of the geographicdatabase. Working from the marked-up printed copy of the map, theresearcher makes additions and/or changes to the data in the geographicdatabase to reflect the actual geographic features observed by theresearcher while out in the field.

Although this process works well, there is room for improvement. Forexample, writing descriptions of geographic features onto a printed copyof a map can be time-consuming. Also, it can be difficult to writeinformation legibly while traveling in a moving vehicle.

Computerized data collection techniques for acquiring certain types ofgeographic data are known. However, known computerized data collectiontechniques are not suitable for collection of certain kinds ofgeographic data attributes.

Moreover, laptop computers and other equipment that might lay on or nearthe researcher's lap during data collection may be inconvenient oruncomfortable with these devices being in close proximity to theresearcher while in the vehicle. Also, similar to the difficulty withwriting in a moving vehicle, using a mouse, pen, stylus, or touch-screendisplay to collect data can also be difficult and often frustrating tothe researcher.

Accordingly, it is desired to provide an improved method and system forcollecting data for a geographic database.

SUMMARY

To address these and other objectives, the present embodiment comprisesa data collection system including a hand-gesture responsive deviceconnected to a computing device used by a researcher to collect andinput data for a geographic database. The data collection system istransported by the researcher along roads in a geographic area. As thedata collection system is being transported, the positions of the datacollection system are obtained. Programming in the data collectionsystem recognizes hand and/or finger gestures from the researcher. Thedata collection system stores data indicating an obtained position witha type of data associated with the gesture. The data obtained by thedata collection system is used to add data to or modify data in thegeographic database. The data obtained by the data collection system isdisplayed so that the researcher can add or modify data records in thegeographic database.

According to another aspect, a data collection system includes aposition determining system that continuously determines the position ofthe data collecting system as the data collecting system is beingtransported along roads in a geographic area. A gesture recognition unitin the data collection system recognizes a gesture from an attendingresearcher. Speech synthesis programming in the data collection systemconverts the recognized gesture from text to speech that is played backfor the researcher to hear. Upon receiving a confirmation from theresearcher, the data collection system stores the text along with aposition obtained by the position determining system. The data obtainedby the data collection system may be displayed so that the researchercan add or modify data records in the geographic database.

The present embodiment provides computerized interpretation of handand/or finger gestures to input data into the data collection system ina safe and substantially accurate manner. Moreover, the presentembodiment may be used to input data at a relatively high speed whileallowing for an “eyes-free” data entry, which makes it desirable forin-vehicle data collection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a coverage area in which an embodimentfor collecting data for a geographic database can be used;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process for forming derived databaseproducts from the primary version of the geographic database shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is map illustrating an assignment area that is located in thecoverage area shown in FIG. 1, which contains geographic features aboutwhich data will be collected for the primary version of the geographicdatabase;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing components of an embodiment of asystem for collecting data for the geographic database shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a portion of a road in the assignment area of FIG. 3 andillustrates a use of the system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing components of the glove data portionof the data collecting system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a table of commands in which the gesture recognition comparesgestures to stored gestures;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing components of the data-relatingportion of the data collecting system shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 shows the portion of a road shown in FIG. 5 and illustratesanother use of the data collection system;

FIG. 10 shows the portion of the assignment area shown in FIG. 5 duringa further stage of operation of the data collection system;

FIG. 11 illustrates an arrangement for updating the primary geographicdatabase using the data collected with the data collection system ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 12 is a visual display provided by the database updating program ofFIG. 11 showing some of the data collected by the data collectionsystem;

FIG. 13 shows another visual display provided by the database updatingprogram of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a visual display provided by the database updating program ofFIG. 11 showing some of the address data collected by the datacollection system;

FIG. 15 shows the visual display of FIG. 14 with a data entry windowoverlaid on the map to allow a researcher to add data to the geographicdatabase; and

FIG. 16 shows an actual data entry window similar to the window in FIG.15 used for entering address data to the geographic database.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

FIG. 1 shows a primary version of a geographic database 100. The primaryversion of the geographic database 100 includes data 102 that representgeographic features in a coverage area 108. The coverage area 108 maycorrespond to an entire country, such as the United States.Alternatively, the primary version of the geographic database 100 maycorrespond to several countries, such as the United States, Canada, andMexico, or France, Germany, and Italy, and so on. According to anotheralternative, the primary version 100 may represent only a single regionwithin a country, such as the West Coast or the Midwest of the U.S. Theprimary version of the geographic database 100 is maintained as the copythat has the most up-to-date data relating to the coverage area 108.Various processes may be used to confirm the integrity of the data inthe primary version 100. Although the geographic database 100 includesdata that represent geographic features in the entire coverage area 108,there may be parts of the coverage area 108 that contain geographicfeatures that are not represented by data in the geographic database, orfor which the coverage is sparse.

As stated above, the data 102 in the primary version of the geographicdatabase 100 represents geographic features in the covered area 108. Thedata 102 includes various attributes of the represented geographicfeatures. For example, the primary version of the geographic database100 includes data that represent roads and data that representattributes of roads, such as the geographic coordinates of positions onthe roads, street names of the roads, addresses ranges along the roads,turn restrictions at intersections of roads, and so on. The geographicdata 102 may also include information about points of interest in thecovered geographic area 108. Points of interest may include hotels,restaurants, museums, stadiums, offices, automobile dealerships, autorepair shops, etc. The geographic data 102 may include data about thelocations of these points of interests. The geographic data 102 may alsoinclude information about places, such as cities, towns, or othercommunities. The geographic data 102 may include other kinds ofinformation.

The primary version of the geographic database 100 is updated, expanded,and/or otherwise modified on a regular and continuing basis. Tofacilitate these operations, the primary version of the geographicdatabase 100 is preferably maintained in a format that facilitatesupdating and development. For example, the data in the primary version100 may be stored in an uncompressed format. An example of a suitableformat is the VSAM format, although other kinds of formats, bothproprietary and non-proprietary, may be suitable.

A copy of the primary version 100 of the geographic database isphysically located at a first location 114. In one embodiment, theprimary version of the geographic database 100 is stored on one or morehard drives and accessed with a mainframe computer 116, such as anAmdahl or IBM mainframe computer. One or more backup copies can also bemaintained.

In one embodiment, the geographic data 102 are maintained and developedby Navigation Technologies Corporation of Chicago, Ill. However, itshould be understood that the inventive concepts disclosed herein arenot restricted to any particular source of data.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the primary version of the geographic database100 can be used to make derived database products 110. The deriveddatabase products 110 made from the primary version 100 may include onlyportions of all the data in the primary version 100. For example, thederived database products 110 may include data that relate to only oneor more specific regions located within the coverage area 108 of theprimary version 100.

The derived database products 110 are used by various applications. Forexample, the derived database products 110 may be used by applicationsthat provide various functions, such as route calculation, routeguidance, vehicle positioning, map display, and electronic yellow pages,as well as other kinds of functions. The derived database products 110may be used on various kinds of computing platforms 112. For example,the derived database products 110 may be used in navigation systems(such as in-vehicle navigation systems and hand-held portable navigationsystems), personal computers (including desktop and notebook computers),and other kinds of devices (such as pagers, telephones, personal digitalassistants, and so on). Derived database products 110 may also be usedon networked computing platforms and environments, including theInternet.

The derived database products 110 made from the primary version may bein a different format than the format in which the main copy of thedatabase 100 is maintained. The derived database products 110 may be ina format that facilitates the uses of the derived products in theplatforms in which they are installed. The derived database products 110may also be stored in a compressed format on the media on which they arelocated.

The derived database products 110 may be stored on media that aresuitable for the hardware platforms in which they are installed. Forexample, the derived database products may be stored on CD-ROM disks,hard drives, DVD disks, flash memory, or other types of media that areavailable now or that become available in the future.

As mentioned previously, the primary version of the geographic database100 includes the most up-to-date data relating to the coverage area 108.Processes are used to update, check, and expand the coverage of the data102 in the primary version of the geographic database 100 on a regularbasis. Expanding the coverage of the database includes adding datarecords to represent geographic features that had not already beenrepresented by records in the geographic database. For example, within acoverage area (such as the area 108 in FIG. 1), there may be sub-areasthat are not represented. Expanding the coverage of the database alsoincludes adding data for new developments, e.g., new subdivisions.Expanding the coverage may also include adding more detail for areasthat are already represented. In addition to expanding the coverage ofthe geographic database, there is a continuous need to update and checkthe existing data in the database. For example, speed limits may change,turn restrictions may change, etc.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the processes of updating, checking andexpanding are performed by staff at one or more field offices 118. Thefield offices 118 are located in the geographic area corresponding tothe coverage area 108 of the primary version of the geographic database.Each field office 118 may be associated with a separate portion 120 ofthe entire coverage area 108. Each field office 118 includes theappropriate hardware and software so that data can be exchanged betweencomputing equipment located at the field office and the main computer116. In one embodiment, the field offices 118 and the main computer 116are connected with a data network 240. The network 240 may be a widearea network (WAN), the Internet, or any other kind of technology thatenables the exchange of data between the main computer 116 and the fieldoffices 118.

Each of the field offices 118 is staffed with one or more technicians(referred to herein as “researchers”). The researchers perform severalfunctions. The researchers collect data for the primary database 100.The researchers may add data about geographic features that had notpreviously been included in the primary database 100. The researchersmay also check data about geographic features that are alreadyrepresented in the primary database 100 to assure that the data arecorrect and up-to-date.

The data collection activities of a researcher are organized intoassignments. Referring to FIG. 3, each assignment is associated with anassignment area 200. The assignment area 200 is a physical geographicarea that contains geographic features about which the researchercollects data for updating or expanding the primary version of thegeographic database 100. The assignment area 200 is typically arelatively small portion of the coverage area 108. The assignment area200 may be within the part 120 of the coverage area assigned to thefield office.

The size of the assignment area 200 may depend upon various factors,such as the kinds of data being collected, the distance of theassignment area from the field office, the density of geographicfeatures in the assignment area, and so on. For example, the assignmentarea 200 may be several square miles, or alternatively the assignmentarea 200 may be hundreds of square miles.

Although data about some types of geographic features can be collectedwithout leaving the location of the field office (using aerialphotographs, for example), collection of data for other types ofgeographic features may require that the researcher physically observethe geographic feature. Thus, a researcher may have to travel to theassignment area to collect some types of data. To perform this functionefficiently, a researcher may attempt to collect as much data aspossible while out in the field.

One type of geographic data that may require direct physical observationby a researcher to collect is street address data. Other types ofgeographic features that may require direct observation by a researcherto collect include the speed limit along a road, whether a road ispaved, whether a shoulder exists along the road, and whether a lanebarrier exists along the road. There are other types of geographicfeatures in addition to these that may require direct physicalobservation by a researcher to collect, as described below.

II. The Data Collection System

FIG. 4 shows components of a data collection system 225. The datacollection system 225 is a tool that facilitates collection of thosetypes of data about geographic features that a researcher directlyobserves to obtain. The data collection system 225 is used to obtainaddress data, as well as other kinds of data, as described below.

According to this embodiment, the data collection system 225 includeshardware and software components. The data collection system 225includes a position determining system 230. The position determiningsystem 230 determines its position and hence the position of a vehicle304 in which it is installed. The position determining system 230updates this determination on a regular (or irregular) basis. Theposition determining system 230 provides an output in the form of aseries of location data indicating the instantaneous vehicle positiondetermined over time. For example, the position determining system 230may determine the position of the vehicle every second. Alternatively,the position determining system 230 may determine the position of thevehicle less frequently, e.g., every 2 seconds, every 5 seconds, etc.,or more frequently, such as every 0.5 seconds or every 0.1 seconds, oreven more frequently. Each location data may be defined by geographiccoordinates, i.e., latitude and longitude, and optionally altitude. Theposition determining system 230 may be implemented using knowntechnology, such as GPS, DGPS, dead-reckoning, and so on. The positiondetermining system 230 may be implemented using a suitable GPS receiver.Suitable systems are commercially available from Garmin, Trimble,Satloc, and Ashtech.

The data collection system 225 also includes a heading determiningsystem 232. The heading determining system 232 determines the heading ofthe vehicle. The heading determining system 232 provides an output inthe form of a series of vehicle heading data determined over time. Eachheading data may be defined by an azimuth reading. The headingdetermining system 232 updates this determination on a regular (orirregular) basis. For example, the heading determining system 232 maydetermine the heading of the vehicle every second, every 2 seconds,every 5 seconds, etc., or more frequently, such as every 0.5 seconds orevery 0.1 seconds, or even more frequently. The outputs of the headingdetermining system 232 do not necessarily coincide with the outputs ofthe position determining system 230. The heading determining system 232may be implemented using known technology, such a compass, a gyroscope,etc.

The position determining system 230 and the heading determining system232 may be part of the data collection system 225. Alternatively, theposition determining system 230 and the heading determining system 232may be standalone units that provide their outputs to the datacollection system 225. According to another alternative, the positiondetermining system 230 and the heading determining system 232 may bepart of an in-vehicle navigation system installed in the vehicle inwhich the researcher is traveling. In this latter alternative, the datacollection system 225 is coupled to receive the outputs of the positiondetermining system and the heading determining system from thein-vehicle navigation system.

The data collection system 225 includes a data collection program 236.The data collection program 326 may be a software program installed on aportable computing device 238, such as a notebook computer. In oneembodiment, the data collection program 236 is written in the Cprogramming language. In alternative embodiments other programminglanguages may be used, such as C++, Java, Visual Basic, and so on.

The data collection program 236 includes a data reception component 240.The data reception component 240 is a programming routine that receivesthe series of outputs from the position determining system 230 and theheading determining system 232.

The data collection system 225 also includes a hand gesture responsivedevice (also referred to herein as a “glove”) 242 and optionally, aspeaker 244 to provide feedback. The glove 242 may be a peripheraldevice coupled to the portable computing device through knowninterfaces, and speaker 244 may be part of the hardware of the portablecomputing device 238. The data collection program 236 includes a glovedata component 250, or alternately, the glove data component 250 isexternal to the portable computing device 238. The glove data component250 is a programming routine that receives the output from the glove242. The glove data component 250 may also provide an output to thespeaker 244 for feedback to the user.

The data collection program 236 also includes a data-relating component254. The data-relating component 254 interfaces with the data receptioncomponent 240 and the glove data component 250. The data-relatingcomponent 254 also interfaces with a data storage device 260. The datastorage device 260 may be part of the hardware of the portable computingdevice 238, such as the hard drive of the portable computing device 238,or the data storage device 260 may be a peripheral device coupled to theportable computing device through a known interface. The functions ofthe data reception component 240, the glove data component 250, and thedata-relating component 254 are described below. But first, the glove242 is described.

III. Operation of the Glove

The hand gesture responsive device or glove 242 is an input device thatmeasures the movements of the researcher's hand/and fingers andtransmits them to the portable-computing device 238. The glove 242 isgenerally lightweight, with sensors that accurately and repeatedlymeasure the position and movements of the fingers and hand. Somesophisticated data gloves may instead be used to measure movement of thewrist and elbow in addition to movements of the fingers and hand. Thedata glove 242 can contain control buttons that might be used forfrequently used commands such as “COMMIT,” and so on, such commands aredescribed below. Note also that the hand gesture responsive device doesnot have to include a glove, but may instead be a device which captureshand and/or finger movements by tracking gestures via laser, optics,still frame pictures, and so on.

The glove 242 offers multiple degrees of freedom for each finger andhand to indicate the researcher's intentions. Generally, the number ofdegrees of freedom depends on the number of sensors in the glove.Presently, some common gloves have 12 to 24 sensors. The sensors arebend sensitive and their resistance varies linearly (or non-linearly)with the bend. The sensors are thin and flexible and can provide anundetectable resistance to bending. Since the sensors exhibit lowsensitivity to their positions over finger joint and to the joint radiiof curvature, gloves may provide high quality measurements over a widerange. If necessary and depending on the type of glove used, themovement of the vehicle may be taken into account by subtracting out themotion of the vehicle from the output signal of the glove 242.

In one embodiment, the glove 242 is connected to the portable-computingdevice 238 by a serial cable, but in another embodiment, the glove 242is connected to the portable-computing device 238 by radio frequencies.Suitable glove systems are commercially available from EssentialReality, LLC and Immersion Corporation.

As previously described, the glove 242 can be used to sign variouslanguage messages for data collection. A typical example of signlanguage is American Sign Language (ASL). Many words or ideas have ASLsigns, but when a word does not have a sign it may be spelt out using amanual alphabet or may be represented by a specific gesture programmedin a table.

IV. Operation of the Data Collection System

Operation of the data collection system 225 is described with referenceto FIGS. 4 through 16. According to a first embodiment, a researchertravels in a vehicle along roads in the assignment area. The researchermay travel along the roads in the assignment area by car, but any othersuitable mode of transportation may be used. Referring to FIG. 5, thereis an illustration of a road 300. The researcher is a passenger in avehicle 304. The vehicle 304 is equipped with the data collection system225. The vehicle 304 is traveling along the road 300 in the directionindicated by the arrow 308. The vehicle 304 is at a location, labeled“B”, having traveled along the path 310 of the road 300 from thelocation labeled “A.”

The positioning determining system 230 in the vehicle 304 determinesinstantaneous positions of the vehicle 304 as the vehicle 304 travelsalong the road 300. FIG. 5 illustrates a series of positions POS(1),POS(2), POS(3) and POS(k) determined by the position determining system230. The series of positions are positions at which the positiondetermining system 230 determined the vehicle 304 to be as the vehicle304 traveled along the road 300 from the location indicated by “A” tothe location indicated by “B.” It is noted that the series of positionsdetermined by the position determining system 230 may not necessarilylie exactly along the path 310 of the vehicle 304 as it traveled alongthe road 300. These discrepancies may result from normally occurringvariances in the readings of the position determining system 230.

Likewise, as the vehicle 304 travels along the road 300, the headingdetermining system 232 determines a series of headings. The series ofheadings are not illustrated in FIG. 5, but the most recent heading atlocation “B” is shown.

As the vehicle 304 travels along the road 300, the data receptioncomponent 240 in the data collection program 236 receives the dataindicating the series of positions, POS(1), POS(2), POS(3), and POS(k)from the position determining system 230 and the data indicating theseries of vehicle headings from the heading determining system 232. Thedata reception component 240 forwards these data to the data-relatingcomponent 254 which stores the data in a file (e.g., the file 314 inFIG. 7) on the data storage 260.

As the vehicle 304 travels, the data reception component 240 continuesto receive data indicating the vehicle position and heading and thedata-relating component 254 continues to store these data. As theseprocesses continue, the glove data component 250 of the data collectionprogram 236 is in a mode in which it is ready to receive a command givenby hand and/or finger movements and/or body gestures (collectivelyreferred to hereafter as “gestures”). The glove 242 may give the handand/or finger movements. Body gestures may be given by, for example, theresearcher's arm or head movement, if sensors, in addition to the glove242, are placed on the researcher at the appropriate locations such asthe arm or neck region of the researcher.

According to this example, when the vehicle 304 is at the locationlabeled “B”, the researcher uses the data collection system 225 tocollect address data. When the vehicle 304 is at the location labeled“B”, the researcher observes an address “4325” on a building along theleft side of the road 300. The researcher makes a specific gesture usingthe glove 242 to indicate the command “LEFT.” In one embodiment, theresearcher uses a particular hand gesture assigned to the command“LEFT,” but in another embodiment, the researcher spells the command ora portion thereof using ASL depending on how the glove data component250 is programmed.

Referring to FIG. 6, a gesture recognition routine 316 in the glove datacomponent 250 of the data collection program 236 attempts to recognizethe gesture “LEFT.” The gesture recognition routine 316 checks a table318 of stored gesture commands for a match.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary table 318 of stored gestures that includescommands for “LEFT”, “RIGHT”, “CORNER”, “PLACE”, “SPEED”, “DIVIDER”,“COMMIT”, and so on. The table 318 may include other commands inaddition to or instead of these. Moreover, the stored gestures mayinclude letters of the ASL alphabet or numeral system. Note that thegestures may overlap with each other closely, but the amount of overlapdepends on the number of sensors and/or sensitivity of the sensors inthe glove 242 to distinguish between the different gestures. It shouldbe understood that the gestures in table 318 shown are by way of exampleonly, and that other gestures may be programmed to represent thecommands. Thus, one skilled in the art would appreciate that thegestures may be individually programmed to represent any number ofdesired commands.

Referring back to FIG. 6, if the gesture is recognized, the gesturerecognition routine 316 performs two steps. First, the gesturerecognition routine 316 identifies the most recent position data,POS(k), received by the data reception component 240 from the positiondetermining system 230 and the most recent heading data 319 received bythe data reception component 240 from the heading determining system232. Second, the gesture recognition routine 316 outputs an audibleoutput (e.g., a tone) to the speaker 244 indicating that the gesture hasbeen recognized. Alternately, once a match is found for the gesture, thegesture's corresponding character text string 324 is sent to atext-to-speech synthesis routine 330 in the glove data component 250.The text-to-speech synthesis routing 330 converts the character textstring 324 into an audio output.

According to this example, upon hearing the audible output indicatingthat the gesture has been recognized, the researcher may make a specificgesture using the glove 242 to indicate the command “ADDRESS.” Asbefore, the gesture recognition routine 316 checks the table 318 ofstored gesture commands for a match. Assuming a match, the researchermay make specific gestures to indicate the observed address “4325” usingthe glove 242. The output of the glove 242 is received by the gesturerecognition 316 and checks the gestures “4,” “3,” “2,” and “5” to thetable 318 of stored gesture commands. As above, once a match is foundfor each gesture, the gesture's corresponding character text string 324is sent to a text-to-speech synthesis routine 330 in the glove datacomponent 250. The text-to-speech synthesis routing 330 converts thecharacter text string 324 into an audio output. The audio output isplayed over the speaker 244 so that the researcher can hear it therebyallowing the researcher to confirm that the gesture recognition 316properly converted the gestured phrase “4325” into a character textstring. Using the text-to-speech synthesis routine 330 to play back thephrase that had been converted using the gesture command recognition 316enables the researcher to know immediately whether the gesture commandrecognition 316 has accurately captured the gestured phrase “4325.”

If the audio output of the converted text string played back over thespeaker 244 corresponds to the phrase gestured by the researcher, theresearcher indicates that the address data can be stored. The researchermakes this indication by gesturing the command “COMMIT.” The gesturerecognition routine 316 attempts to recognize the gesture command“COMMIT” using the table 318 of stored gesture commands. If the gesturerecognition routine 316 recognizes the gesture command “COMMIT”, thefollowing two steps are performed. First, the glove data component 250outputs a command to provide an audible output (e.g., a tone) to thespeaker 244 indicating that the command “COMMIT” has been recognized.Second, the glove data component 250 sends the most recent positiondata, POS(k), the most recent heading data 319, the lateral direction(i.e., “left” or “right”) as indicated by the researcher to thedata-relating component 254, and the address text string 324 to thedata-relating component 254.

Referring to FIG. 8, the data-relating component 254 receives the dataindicating the most recent position data POS(k), the data indicating themost recent heading, and the lateral direction data. Using thisinformation, the data-relating component 254 calculates a first pseudoposition 340. The first pseudo position 340 is defined by geographiccoordinates, i.e., latitude, longitude, and optionally altitude. Thefirst pseudo position 340 is calculated to be at a locationapproximately 5-10 meters away from the most recent position (indicatedby the data POS(k)) in the lateral direction (i.e., “left”) with respectto the direction of the most recent heading 319. In this embodiment, thepseudo position is determined by calculating a position 90° from thedirection of the heading in the lateral direction indicated. The pseudoposition is not necessarily intended to correspond to the exact positionof the building with the associated address. The data-relating component254 associates the address text string 324 with data indicating thepseudo position 340. The data-relating component 254 stores these dataitems together in a file 344 on the data storage 260.

Referring again to FIG. 6, it may occur that after playing back thephrase, the researcher determines that the originally gestured phrasehad not been correctly recognized. In this embodiment, the researchermay make this determination by hearing the audio output of thetext-to-speech synthesis routine 330, but in another embodiment, theresearcher might read the output on a monitor or screen. If theresearcher determines that the converted phrase should not be saved,he/she may indicate this intention to the data collection system 225 byanother gesture command, such as “ABORT.” Then, if the researchergestures the command “ABORT”, the gesture command recognition routine316 attempts to recognize the gesture command “ABORT” using the table318 of stored gesture commands. Note that after an address has beenconverted to text, the gesture recognition routine 316 may be programmedto limit the gesture command choices to only “COMMIT” and “ABORT.” Ifthe gesture recognition routine 316 recognizes the gesture command“ABORT”, the converted character text string data 324 is discarded. Theglove data component 250 of the data collection program 236 may thenreturn to the mode in which it waits to receive another gesture.

It may also occur that when the researcher gestures a command such as“COMMIT” or “ABORT”, the gesture recognition routine 316 cannotrecognize the command. If this occurs, the gesture recognition routine316 provides an output to the speaker indicating that the command hasnot been recognized. The output may be in the form of an error tone orbeep. The gesture recognition routine 316 may provide the researcherwith an opportunity to gesture the command again.

The glove data component 250 may also provide a feature that allows theresearcher to enter commands or addresses manually, for example via thekeyboard of the notebook computer 238. Entering commands or addressesmanually may be provided as an option. Moreover, the glove 242 may beused to act as a peripheral input such as a mouse or stylus whenentering commands or addresses manually. For example, the glove 242 maybe used to navigate on-screen menus, and so on.

After the researcher has used the data collection system 225 to storethe address data associated with the first pseudo position 280, theresearcher may use the data collection system 225 to store more addressdata. Referring to FIG. 9, the vehicle 304 is shown to have traveledalong the road 300 from the position, labeled “B” to a position, labeled“C.” As the vehicle 304 travels from the position labeled “B” to theposition labeled “C”, the position determining system 230 continues toacquire data indicating the geographic coordinates of the vehicle 304.The positions corresponding to these data are labeled POS(4) and POS(j).Similarly, as the vehicle 304 travels from the position labeled “B” tothe position labeled “C”, the heading determining system 232 continuesto acquire data indicating the vehicle heading. These data indicatingthe vehicle position and heading are forwarded to the data-relatingcomponent 254 which stores the data in the file 314 (in FIG. 8) on thedata storage 260, as described above.

As the vehicle 304 passes the building with the address “4316”, theresearcher observes the address and uses the data collection system 225to store more address data. The researcher gestures the command “RIGHT.”As before, the gesture recognition routine 316 in the glove datacomponent 250 of the data collection program 236 attempts to recognizethe command using the stored list 318 of commands. If the command“RIGHT” is recognized, the researcher is prompted to further gestureanother command. In this example, the researcher may wish to enter thecommand “ADDRESS.” Assuming a match, the researcher responds bygesturing “4,” “3,” “1,” and “6.” The text-to-speech synthesis routine330 plays back the text for the researcher to hear after each number orafter the address is entered in its entirety, whichever is moredesirable. As before, if the gestured phrase has been successfullyconverted to text, the researcher gestures the command “COMMIT.” Thetext of the address “4316” along with the data indicating the mostrecent vehicle position, POS(j), the most recent vehicle heading, andthe lateral direction (i.e., “right”) are passed to the data-relatingcomponent 254. The data-relating component 254 calculates a secondpseudo position. This second pseudo position is spaced laterallyapproximately 5-10 meters to the right of the most recent vehicleposition. The coordinates of the second pseudo position and the text ofthe address are stored together in the file 344 in the data storage 260.The researcher can continue to add address information in this manner asthe vehicle travels along roads in the assignment area.

Another aspect of the data collection system 225 is described inconnection with FIG. 10. FIG. 10 shows the vehicle 304 at a location,labeled “D”, which is further along the road 300. At the locationlabeled “D”, the vehicle is passing through an intersection 360. As thevehicle 304 continues to travel along the road 300, the positiondetermining system 230 (shown in FIG. 4) continues to acquire dataindicating the geographic coordinates of the vehicle and the headingdetermining system 232 continues to acquire data indicating the vehicleheading. The position data and the heading data continue to be passed tothe data-relating component 254 which stores the data in the file 314(in FIG. 8) on the data storage 260, as described above.

As the researcher passes through the intersection 360, he/she observesan address “4301” of a building on the corner. The researcher gesturesthe command “LEFT,” and then the command “CORNER.” The gesturerecognition routine 316 (in FIG. 6) attempts to recognize the command“LEFT” then the command “CORNER” using the list 318 of stored commands.If the command “LEFT” and “CORNER” are recognized, the researcher isprompted to gesture an address. The researcher responds by gesturing“4,” “3,” “0,” and “1.” The text-to-speech synthesis routine 330 playsback the text for the researcher to hear. When the gesture recognitionroutine 316 recognizes the command “LEFT” and “CORNER”, the text of theaddress “4301” along with the data indicating the most recent vehicleposition, the most recent vehicle heading, the lateral direction (i.e.,“left”), and the data “LEFT CORNER” are passed to the data-relatingcomponent 254. The data-relating component 254 calculates a pseudoposition. This pseudo position is spaced laterally approximately 5-10meters to the left of the most recent vehicle position. The coordinatesof the pseudo position and the text of the address are saved together inthe file 344 along with an indication that the address is associatedwith a “LEFT CORNER.”

The researcher continues to travel on roads in the assignment area usingthe data collection system 225 in the vehicle 304 to collect addressdata. After the researcher has finished collecting address data in theassignment area, the data that has been collected using the datacollection system 225 can be used to add address information to theprimary version 100 of the geographic database.

V. Other Types of Data Collected

The data collection system (225 in FIG. 4) can be used to collect dataother than addresses. For example, the data collection system 225 can beused to collect speed limit information, information about whether alane divider exists along a road, and information about whether the roadis unpaved. As mentioned above in connection with FIG. 6, the gesturerecognition routine 316 in the glove data component 250 of the datacollection program 236 uses a table 318 of stored gesture commands. Inaddition to the commands “LEFT”, “RIGHT”, “CORNER”, and “COMMIT”, thetable 318 includes commands for “PLACE”, “SPEED”, and “DIVIDER.” Thesecommands may be used by a researcher traveling along roads in anassignment area to collect data for making additions and modificationsto a geographic database. Other commands may include:

Divider Carpools Allowed Drive Path Lane Traversal Thru Traffic AllowedCenter Turn Lane Present Trucks Allowed Lane Transition AutomobilesAllowed Number of Lanes Pedestrians Allowed Relative Altitude BusesAllowed Travel Restriction Bicycles Allowed Traffic Signal PresentBridge Toll Booth Tunnel One Way Restriction Paved Speed Limit PrivateSchool Zone Gated Speed Advisory Ramp Variable Speed Frontage Speed BumpTollway Deliveries Allowed Built Up Area Taxis Allowed AddressesEmergency Vehicles Allowed Street Name

A. Collecting Speed Limit Data Example

The commands “PLACE” and “SPEED” can be used with the data collectionsystem 225 to collect speed limit information in order to add theinformation to a geographic database. The “PLACE” command workssimilarly to the “LEFT” and “RIGHT” commands. After recognizing the“PLACE” command, the glove data component 250 converts words (i.e.,numbers) gestured by the researcher into a text string and then uses thetext-to-speech synthesis routine 330 to play back the converted text.The “PLACE” command also causes the data-relating component 254 todetermine a pseudo position along the path of the vehicle based on themost recent vehicle position obtained by the position determining system230. In one embodiment, the pseudo position corresponds to the mostrecent position determined by the position determining system 230.Alternatively, the pseudo position may be spaced or extrapolated a shortdistance (e.g., 5-10 meters) in advance of the most recent position,based upon the most recent vehicle heading. The “SPEED” command workssimilarly to the “CORNER” command or the “COMMIT” command. The “SPEED”command associates the text string with an indication that the textstring represents a speed limit. The text string, the pseudo position,and the data indicating that the text string represents a speed limitare stored in a data file on the computing device on which the datacollection program 236 is being run. The data file may be the same datafile (344 in FIG. 8) used to store the address data.

B. Collecting Divided Highway Data Example

Another type of data that can be collected using the data collectionsystem 225 is lane divider information. Lane divider information can becollected using the gestured commands “DIVIDER LINK”, “DIVIDER OPEN” and“DIVIDER CLOSED.” These commands cause the data-relating component 254to determine a pseudo position along the path of the vehicle. In apreferred embodiment, the pseudo position is the most recent vehicleposition obtained by the position determining system 230. Alternatively,the pseudo position can be a different position. The “DIVIDER LINK”command associates the pseudo position with an indication that a lanedivider exists along the road segment at the pseudo position. The“DIVIDER OPEN” command associates the pseudo position with an indicationthat a lane divider exists along the road segment at the pseudo positionup to the intersection being approached, but that the lane divider doesnot extend across the intersection. The “DIVIDER CLOSED” commandassociates the pseudo position with an indication that a lane dividerexists along the road segment at the pseudo position up to and acrossthe intersection being approached. The pseudo position, data indicatingthat a lane divider exists along the pseudo position, and the kind oflane divider (i.e., “link”, “closed”, or “open”) are stored in a datafile which may be the same data file (344 in FIG. 8) used to store theaddress data and the speed limit data.

C. Collecting Unpaved Highway Data Example

Another type of data that can be collected using the data collectionsystem 225 is unpaved highway information. Unpaved highway informationcan be collected using the gesture command “UNPAVED.” The “UNPAVED”command works like the “DIVIDER” commands. The “UNPAVED” command causesthe data-relating component 254 to determine a pseudo position along thepath of the vehicle from the most recent vehicle position obtained bythe position determining system 230. The “UNPAVED” command associatesthe pseudo position with an indication that the road segment is unpavedat the pseudo position. The pseudo position and the data indicating thatthe road segment is unpaved are stored in a data file which may be thesame data file (344 in FIG. 8) used to store the address data, the speedlimit data, and the lane divider data.

VI. Adding Data to the Database

After the researcher has finished collecting address data in theassignment area, the researcher returns to the field office oralternatively, to another location from which the data collected usingthe data collection system 225 can be used to add data to the geographicdatabase. In order to apply address data to the primary version of thegeographic database 100, the researcher uses a database-updatingprogram. FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a database updating program 390installed on the portable computer 238. The database-updating program390 may be part of the data collection program 225 or may be astandalone program. Alternatively, the database updating component 390may be installed on the main computer 116 (in FIG. 1) and run remotelyfrom the portable computer 238. The portable computer 238 (or the othercomputer platform) upon which the database updating program 390 isinstalled includes the appropriate hardware and software so that datafrom the primary version of the database 100 can be loaded into it.According to one embodiment, the portable computer 238 connects to thenetwork 240 at the field office to receive data from the main computer116. Alternatively, the portable computer 238 can access the maincomputer 116 through any other kind of connection, such as a dial-upconnection or a wireless connection.

The researcher provides the files 314 and 344 that were formed by thedata collection program 236 to the database-updating program 390. If thedatabase updating program 390 and the data collection program 236 areinstalled on the same computer, the files 314 and 344 may be accesseddirectly. Alternatively, if the database updating program 390 and thedata collection program 236 are installed on different computers, thefiles 314 and 344 may be copied or otherwise transmitted so that theyare accessible to the database updating program 390. The databaseupdating program 390 may be similar or identical to the programdescribed in the copending patent application entitled “Method andSystem for Collecting Data for Updating A Geographic Database,” Ser. No.09/256,389, filed Feb. 24, 1999, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

The database updating program 390 provides for adding new data recordsto the primary version of the geographic database 100 or alternatively,the database updating program 390 provides for modifying data recordsthat are already in the primary version of the geographic database 100.When performing either of these functions, the database updating program390 may request the main computer 116 to provide copies of some of thedata records in the primary version of the geographic database 100 foruse by the geographic database updating program 390. For example, ifaddress range data is being added to road segment data records that arealready in the primary version of the geographic database, copies ofthese road segment data records are provided to the database updatingprogram 390 so that the address range data can be added by theresearcher. While the researcher is working on these road segment datarecords, the main computer 116 may lock the copies of these road segmentdata records in the primary version of the geographic database 100 sothat no other researcher can access these same data records. Thisassures that no two researchers are modifying the same data record atthe same time, which may lead to conflicting modifications.

When adding new data records to the geographic database to representroad segments that had not previously been represented, it may still benecessary to request data records from the primary version of thegeographic database. New data records that represent road segments thathad not previously been represented in the geographic database mayconnect to road segments that are represented by data records in thegeographic database. To correctly describe the connections of these newroad segments to road segments that are already represented, it may benecessary to modify at least some of the existing data records thatrepresent road segments. While these existing data records are beingmodified by the researcher using the database updating program 390, thecorresponding original copies of these records in the primary version ofthe geographic database are locked so that no other researcher canmodify these records.

The database updating program 390 graphically depicts the data that hadbeen collected in the field using the data collection system and allowsthe researcher to make changes or additions to the primary version ofthe geographic database while observing the graphical depiction of thecollected data. FIG. 12 shows a display 392 on a computer screen. Thedatabase-updating program 390 (in FIG. 11) renders the display 392. Thedatabase-updating program 390 shows a scaled map 393 of a portion of thegeographic assignment area. Overlaid on the display 392 are indications394 of the positions at which the position determining system 230determined the vehicle to be as it traveled along roads in theassignment area. These indications 394 are derived from the vehicleposition data (i.e., “POS”) in the file 314 (in FIG. 8). The indications394 are rendered on the display 392 at relative locations correspondingto their geographic coordinates. As a result, the indications 394 forman outline of the roads upon which the vehicle traveled.

FIG. 13 shows another display 395 rendered by the database updatingprogram 390. The display 395 shows the same portion of the assignmentarea shown on the display 392 of FIG. 12. FIG. 13 shows the same vehicleposition indications 394 as shown in FIG. 12. Using the order in whichthe vehicle position data occurs in the file 314 as well as the headingdata in the file 314, the vehicle position indications 394 have beenconnected by lines 396. The resulting connected lines 396 generallyoutline the roads upon which the vehicle traveled.

FIG. 14 shows a display 398 rendered by the database-updating program390 of FIG. 11. The display 398 in FIG. 14 shows the same portion of theassignment area shown on the display 392 of FIG. 13. FIG. 14 also showsthe same vehicle position indications 394 as shown in FIG. 13. Inaddition, FIG. 14 shows text boxes 400. Each text box 400 includes oneof the address text strings (i.e., “ADDRESS TEXT”) that had been savedin the file 344 (in FIG. 8). Each text box 400 is rendered on thedisplay 398 at the relative location corresponding to the geographiccoordinates of the pseudo position associated with the address text. Asa result, the text boxes 400 are relatively positioned with respect tothe corresponding actual positions of the buildings observed by theresearcher.

Note that one of the text boxes 400 includes an address text string“4301” that is underlined. These text boxes with underlining correspondto pseudo positions to which a corner indication (i.e., “CORNER”) wasassociated in the file 344.

FIG. 15 shows a display 410 of the same portion of the assignment areashown on the display 398 in FIG. 14. The display 410 in FIG. 15 shows anexample of a data entry window 414 overlaid on the map 393. Thedatabase-updating program 390 (in FIG. 11) renders the display 410 andthe data entry window 414. Using the information presented on thedisplay 410 in FIG. 15 and the input device(s) of the computer uponwhich the database updating program 390 is installed (such as theportable computer 238), the researcher can add data to or modify data inthe primary version of the geographic database 100. The data entrywindow 414 in FIG. 15 includes input fields 416. The input fields 416can be used to enter data for adding a data record to the primaryversion of the geographic database 100 (in FIG. 1) or modifying anexisting data record in the geographic database 100. (An actual dataentry window with input fields is shown in FIG. 16. However, for thesake of clarity, reference will be made to the example shown in FIG.15.)

For example, using the input device(s) of the computer upon which thedatabase-updating program 390 is installed, the researcher can identifyroad segments, intersections, curves in the roads, as well as otherinformation from the display 410. For instance, using the display 410,the researcher can identify intersections at the positions labeled “D”and “F.” Using a routine in the database-updating program 390, thegeographic coordinates of the positions of the intersections can bedetermined. For example, the researcher can move a pointing device (suchas a glove, mouse or digitizing tablet) to identify the positions of theintersections on the display 410. A routine in the database-updatingprogram 390 then translates the positions of the pointing device togeographic coordinates. The geographic coordinates of the intersectionsat the end points of the road segment (i.e., the nodes) are added to theappropriate fields 416. The coordinates of the nodes may be addedautomatically from the position of the pointing device.

The researcher can identify road segments that connect each pair ofintersections. In some geographic databases, each road segment isrepresented by a separate data record or entity. Characteristics of eachroad segment are associated with the road segment data entity asattributes.

With respect to each road segment along which is located at least onebuilding with an address, address range attributes are determined andassociated with the road segment data entity. Identifying address rangesinstead of actual addresses can be more reliable for route calculationand guidance. For example, a person using a navigation system tocalculate a route to an address may not know the exact address or mayhave the address number incorrect by only a few digits. Thus, it ispreferable to determine an address range for each road segment so thatany address number sought by a person can be identified with a roadsegment even if the actual address number is not physically present onthe actual road segment.

Using the display 410 in FIG. 15, the researcher can determine a rangeof addresses for the road segment between the intersections labeled “D”and “F.” The addresses data from file 344 that had been obtained whiletraveling in the assignment area using the data collection system 225are shown in the text boxes 400 on the display 410. From the displayedinformation, the researcher can observe the addresses “4301”, “4316”,“4325”, and “4350.” Also, the researcher can observe the address “4402”on the adjacent road segment across the intersection labeled “F.” Fromthis displayed information, the researcher can determine the addressrange data to associate with the data record that represents the roadsegment between the intersections labeled “D” and “F.”

In some databases, a data entity that represents a road segment caninclude address range data for each side of the road segment. If thegeographic database being updated with the database updating program 390includes address range information for each side of the represented roadsegment, the data record formed to represent the road segment betweenthe intersections labeled “D” and “F” would have odd numbers between“4301-4399” on the left side of the road segment and even numbersbetween 4300-4398 on the right side of the road segment. (The “left” and“right” sides of a road segment are relative based upon any arbitraryconvention applied to the database. For example, “west” and “north”sides of roads may be considered “left” sides and “east” and “south”sides of roads may be considered “right” sides.)

Included among the input fields 416 are fields 420 for inputting leftand right address ranges. Using these fields 420 and the informationdisplayed in the text boxes 400 on the map 393 of the portion of thegeographic area in which the data collection system was operated, theresearcher can add address range data to a data record that represents aroad segment.

If the geographic database being updated with the updating program 390does not include separate address ranges for each side of a roadsegment, or if the actual addresses along the road segment are notseparated by odd and even numbers, only a single range may be determinedfor the data record that represents the road segment. Under thesecircumstances, the researcher can determine a single address range“4300-4399” for the data record that represents the road segment between“D” and “F.” This data can be added to one of the fields 420 of the dataentry window 414.

After the researcher adds the address range data to the appropriatefields 420 of the data record, other data attributes relating to therepresented road segment can be added. Such other attributes may includethe street name, shape points (i.e., coordinates along the road segmentat which the road curves), and other information.

After all the data for the data record that represents the road segmentbetween the intersections labeled “D” and “F” has been entered into theappropriate fields, the researcher can use the database updating programto add information about other road segments or other geographicfeatures. When the researcher is finished adding and/or modifying datausing the database updating program 390, all the additions andmodifications (424 in FIG. 11) are applied to the primary copy of thegeographic database 100. These additions and modifications 424 may besent from the portable computer 238 located at one of the field officesto the main computer 116 over the data network 240.

The researcher can then use the data collection system 225 in the sameor another assignment area to collect more data for updating thegeographic database.

VII. Additional Embodiments and Alternatives

In the above embodiment, the data collection system was described asproviding for collection of address data, speed limit data, unpaved roaddata and lane divider data. The data collection system can be used tocollect additional types of data. For example, the data collectionsystem can be used to collect names of streets, names of points ofinterest, such as shops, traffic sign data, traffic light data, dataindicating the number of lanes, parking restriction data, time of daytraffic restrictions, school crossings, parking data, and so on.

In the above described embodiments, certain words, such as “LEFT”,“RIGHT”, “COMMIT”, and so on, are used as gestured commands. Inalternative embodiments, different words may be used to express the sameor similar commands. For example, the word “STORE” may be used insteadof the word “COMMIT.”

In connection with some of the embodiments described above, a pseudoposition was based on the most recent position data calculated by theposition determining system. In alternative embodiments, the pseudoposition may be based upon a position other than the most recentposition determined by the position determining system. For example, thepseudo position may be extrapolated between the last position determinedby the position determining system and the next position determined bythe position determining system. In another alternative, the pseudoposition may be offset by a fixed or calculated amount to take intoaccount vehicle speed, direction, etc.

In the embodiments described above, the map of the geographic area withthe address data, speed limit data, etc., was displayed on the personalcomputer by the database updating program while updating the primaryversion of the geographic database. In an alternative embodiment, themap of the geographic area with the address data, speed limit data,etc., can also be displayed on the personal computer by the datacollection program 236 while the data is being collected. This mayassist the researcher in confirming that data is being properlycollected.

VIII. Advantages

The present system and method provide for collecting data for ageographic data efficiently and quickly. The data collection systemincludes the ability to recognize hand and/or finger gestures thatrepresent commands to facilitate data collection while traveling througha geographic data area.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded asillustrative rather than limiting and that it is understood that thefollowing claims including all equivalents are intended to define thescope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A data collection system used to collect data for ageographic database, the data collection system comprising: a deviceresponsive to a hand gesture by a human operator in a vehicle, whereinthe hand gesture relates to a geographic feature being observed by thehuman operator as the vehicle is driven on roads in a geographic region;programming that interprets the hand gesture as information relating tothe geographic feature; and programming that stores the information asdata relating to the geographic feature in a data storage device.
 2. Thedata collection system of claim 1 where the programming that stores theinformation as data relating to the geographic feature associatestherewith data indicative of a geographic position of the vehicle whenthe hand gesture was made.
 3. The data collection system of claim 1further comprising: programming that receives from a positioning systemlocated in the vehicle data indicative of a geographic position of thevehicle, wherein said data relating to the geographic feature isassociated with corresponding data indicative of a geographic positionof the vehicle when stored.
 4. The data collection system of claim 1wherein said device responsive to a hand gesture fits as a glove on ahand of the human operator.
 5. The data collection system of claim 1wherein said device responsive to a hand gesture captures hand movementsby at least one of: laser, optics, and still frame pictures.
 6. The datacollection system of claim 1 wherein the hand gesture is based onAmerican Sign Language and wherein said programming that interprets thehand gesture further comprises programming that interprets American SignLanguage.
 7. The data collection system of claim 1 further comprising: acomponent that audibly plays back the information relating to thegeographic feature for the human operator to hear.
 8. The datacollection system of claim 1 further comprising: programming thatsynthesizes speech from the information relating to the geographicfeature; and a component that audibly plays back the speech for thehuman operator to hear.
 9. The data collection system of claim 1 whereinthe programming that interprets the hand gesture refers to a storedtable that associates gestures with corresponding commands and matchesthe hand gesture by the human operator to one of said gestures in saidtable.
 10. The data collection system of claim 1 wherein the informationrelating to the geographic feature comprises one of: carpools allowed;through traffic allowed; trucks allowed; automobiles allowed;pedestrians allowed; buses allowed; bicycles allowed; bridge; tunnel;paved road; private road; gated road; ramp; frontage road; tollway;built up area; street address; street name; divider; drive path lanetraversal; center turn lane present; lane transition; number of lanes;relative altitude; travel restriction; traffic signal present; tollbooth; one way restriction; speed limit; school zone; speed advisory;variable speed; speed bump; deliveries allowed; taxis allowed; andemergency vehicles allowed.
 11. A method for collecting data for ageographic database, the method comprising: with a device, sensing ahand gesture by a human operator in a vehicle, wherein the hand gesturerelates to a geographic feature being observed by the human operator asthe vehicle is driven on roads in a geographic region; interpreting thehand gesture as information relating to the geographic feature; andstoring the information as data relating to the geographic feature in adata storage device.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:associating data indicative of a geographic position of the vehicle whenthe hand gesture was made with the data relating to the geographicfeature.
 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising: receiving dataindicative of a geographic position of the vehicle from a positioningsystem; and associating the data indicative of the geographic positionof the vehicle with the data relating to the geographic feature.
 14. Themethod of claim 11 wherein the hand gesture is based on American SignLanguage and wherein said interpreting further includes interpretingAmerican Sign Language.
 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:audibly playing back the information relating to the geographic featurefor the human operator to hear.
 16. The method of claim 11 furthercomprising: synthesizing speech from the information relating to thegeographic feature; and audibly playing back the speech for the humanoperator to hear.
 17. The method of claim 11 wherein the step ofinterpreting further comprises: referring to a stored table thatassociates gestures with corresponding commands; and matching the handgesture by the human operator to one of said gestures in said table. 18.The method of claim 11 wherein the information relating to thegeographic feature comprises one of: carpools allowed; through trafficallowed; trucks allowed; automobiles allowed; pedestrians allowed; busesallowed; bicycles allowed; bridge; tunnel; paved road; private road;gated road; ramp; frontage road; tollway; built up area; street address;street name; divider; drive path lane traversal; center turn lanepresent; lane transition; number of lanes; relative altitude; travelrestriction; traffic signal present; toll booth; one way restriction;speed limit; school zone; speed advisory; variable speed; speed bump;deliveries allowed; taxis allowed; and emergency vehicles allowed.
 19. Amethod of collecting data for a geographic database comprising:traveling in a vehicle on roads in a geographic area; observing ageographic feature; making a hand gesture to indicate information aboutthe observed geographic feature; with an apparatus responsive to handmovements, sensing the hand gesture and determining the informationindicated thereby; storing data that corresponds to the informationdetermined by the apparatus responsive to hand movements; and using thestored data for updating the geographic database.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 further comprising: associating data indicative of a positionof the vehicle with the data that corresponds to the informationdetermined by the apparatus responsive to hand movements.